Support
Choosing the route that leads where you are going
Choosing a route means choosing a role, a duration and an hour budget. Guidance puts all three on the same table, then names the professional title that recognises the role you are aiming for and the programmes leading there.
The three questions that settle it
Which role, precisely
A job title is not enough: what counts is what the person does with their days, and the level of responsibility recognised.
How much time is available
The real weekly budget decides the format as much as ambition does. It is settled before the choice, not after.
What starting point
Qualification held, experience gained, concepts already mastered. That determines the relevant entry level.
What the catalogue puts at your disposal
Guidance works on a known, published set. Every figure below is read from the filed official catalogue, and appears identically on the programme page, in the application file and on the award issued at the end.
- professional titles
- 72
- programmes in the catalogue
- 30
- fields covered
- 13
- schools
- 6
Each owns its field, its teachers and its named career paths.
The levels, and what they recognise
A level describes responsibility, not study length. At levels 4 and 5, the route opens entry into the trade and career change; at levels 6 and 7, it recognises supervision already exercised, and professional experience becomes an admission requirement.
| Level | What it recognises | Titles | Duration | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Skilled employee and operative | 20 | 6 to 12 months | 400 to 800 h |
| Level 5 | Senior technician and supervisor | 18 | 9 to 12 months | 600 to 800 h |
| Level 6 | Manager and professional | 17 | 10 to 12 months | 750 to 800 h |
| Level 7 | Expert and executive | 17 | 9 to 9 months | 700 to 700 h |
The guidance appointment
- 01
You describe the target role
In your own words, with the real context: sector, size of organisation, region where you intend to work.
- 02
We set the options side by side
Duration, credits, taught hours, fees and award. Two routes often lead to the same role, at different paces.
- 03
You leave with a criterion
Written, usable on your own: what must be true for one option to be yours rather than the other.
Guidance questions
Can I aim for a role I have never held?
Yes for levels 4 and 5, designed for entry and career change: the starting point there is motivation and actual level, not a previous post. At levels 6 and 7, supervisory experience becomes an admission requirement, reviewed file by file.
How do I compare two routes to the same role?
On five lines: the award, the duration, the taught hours, the credits and the fees. Those five values come from the catalogue and compare directly. The comparison section sets two routes at a time on that same grid.
Does the appointment commit me to applying?
It ends with a written criterion you keep, whatever you decide. Sometimes it leads to postponing a semester to consolidate a prerequisite: that is a useful outcome, and better obtained before enrolment.
Can I switch route along the way?
Yes, and credits already validated remain acquired where the frameworks overlap. The mid-programme review is the moment set aside for that question: it restates what is validated and what remains, which makes the trade-off concrete.
Explore next
- First weekWelcoming new IHETC learners: the first seven days' programme, access opened as soon as enrolment is confirmed, getting to grips with the workspace and first contact with the tutor and cohort.
- Mid-programme reviewThe IHETC mid-programme review: state of validated credits, actual pace observed, concepts to consolidate and a dated plan through to the final assessment. How the appointment runs and the document you receive.
- Academic calendarThe IHETC academic calendar: opening, submission, assessment and award dates published at the start of the year. Semester rhythm, per-programme deadlines and how it fits alongside a job.
- Resuming studyPausing and resuming an IHETC programme: reasoned request, validated results retained, resumption at the module's next session and an updated plan. What stays open during the pause.
- Professional mentoringIHETC professional mentoring: a pairing with someone working in your target role, formed around the professional title you are preparing. The mentor's role, how the pairing is made and the framework for exchanges.
- Placement searchIHETC placement search support: defining the target, preparing the file, tracked outreach and support during the period in the organisation. Sectors covered by the catalogue.